‘Unusual’ would be the perfect word to describe Thursday night’s showcase meet at the Convocation Center.

For starters, there wasn’t a working buzzer on the main floor of the Convocation Center, forcing somebody to tap referee Terry Giardini in the back with a towel at the end of each period.

Things got even crazier during the first match of the night.

Leading the match in the third period, NIU’s Tristen DeShazer performed an illegal body slam on Ohio’s Quentin Keyes.

The illegal slam led to a disqualification which basically turned a 3-0 Huskie lead into a 6-0 Ohio lead.

The match played a huge part in NIU’s MAC opener with the Bobcats winning 23-22.

“There’s 22 seconds left, and you’re up by three; you stay out of questionable situations,” said NIU head coach Dave Grant.

The Huskies (4-3 overall, 0-1 MAC) evened up the score with Pat McLemore pinning Ohio’s Germane Lindsey. A 5-0 decision by Steve Zimmerman and a pin by Bryan Deutsch followed.

The Bobcats (5-4-1, 1-0) came up with major decisions at 165- and 174-pounds, leading up to the 184-pound match between NIU’s Brad Dieckhaus and Ohio’s Erik Schuth.

With the match tied after three periods, both wrestlers went three sudden-death overtimes with Schuth prevailing, 4-3.

Dieckhaus said the match was the longest he had ever wrestled.

“I think I didn’t come to execute when I had the shots,” Dieckhaus said. “I need to execute my positions.”

The teams split the 197-and 285-pound matches which led to the final match of the night at 125-pounds with Ohio leading 23-18.

NIU’s freshman Izzy Montemayor, who came into the match 18-7 on the season, needed a technical fall against Ohio’s Tim Silvers to get a tie and a pin to give the Huskies the win.

Montemayor came up with an 11-3 major decision, but it wasn’t enough, leaving the Huskies just one point short of a victory.

“We just didn’t capitalize on what we needed to do,” Grant said. “It’s a team effort; all 10 guys have to do it together.”